The first translation of the whole Bible was the so-called Vanha kirkkoraamattu (Old Church Bible), titled Biblia: Se on: Coco Pyhä Ramattu Suomexi [fi] (1642).[2] This edition was translated between 1638 and 1641 by a committee led by Bishop Erik Rothovius and was published in 1642. It was revised in between 1683 and 1685 (Florinus).[citation needed] It is still used by some, although as a revised edition.[2]

As the Finnish written and spoken language evolved during the centuries and literacy became commonplace also amongst the laypeople, a need for a new edition arose. The so-called Biblia or Vuoden 1776 raamattu (1776 Bible) was published in 1776. This was the first edition meant not only for ecclesiastical but also for domestic use, and was the first to be written in Modern Finnish. It was revised in 1859. The 1776 Bible is the version used by two revival movements (the Laestadians and the "Beseechers") within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland even today. This is because it, unlike the newer translations, is based on the Textus Receptus, as is, for instance, the English King James Version.

Vuoden 1938 kirkkoraamattu

Again a new translation was needed in the early 20th century, and a translation committee was set up in 1911. It had its work ready 1933. The full edition of the Bible was published in 1938. This edition is often referred to as the Pyhä Raamattu [fi]. It was translated by the Finnish Lutheran Church and intended for Lutheran use. As the method of translation was "one source language word - one Finnish word". The 1938 edition consisted of Old Testament, deuterocanonicals and New Testament.[citation needed] In translation, it uses the technique of formal equivalence. The language was archaic even contemporaneously as it aimed to create a solemn mood against both the meaning of the original text as well as conventions of the Finnish language.[3]

The latest official Finnish translation dates from 1992, the so-called Uusi kirkkoraamattu [fi] (New Church Bible). It is the first Finnish ecumenical edition; the translation committee consisted not only of the representatives of the Finnish Lutheran Church, but also of academics and representatives of the Finnish Orthodox Church and Finnish Catholic Church, and is intended for the use of all Christian denominations.[citation needed] The translation technique used in the 1992 edition is dynamic equivalence, and it aims to use ordinary standard Finnish.[3] The initial edition consisted of only the New and Old Testaments: the translation of the Old Testament deuterocanonicals were finished only in 2004.[citation needed]

Uusi kirkkoraamattu was criticized by some as deviating from the original text because of its contextual translation. These critiques sparked a new translation, Raamattu kansalle (Bible for the People), 1999/[4]2012.[3] It strives to use modern Finnish.[4] Another new translation, Jumalan Kansan Pyhä Raamattu (1992;[3] Holy Bible of the People of God) is largely based on the 1933/1938 Church Bible and attempts to correct some errors in it.[5] Both Raamattu kansalle and Jumalan Kansan Pyhä Raamattu return to the principle of formal equivalence used in the 1933/1938 bible.[3]

Uuden Maailman käännös (New World Translation) is an unofficial Finnish translation of the Bible, used by Jehovah's Witnesses. It has been translated from its English version rather than from the original Aramaic and Greek.